Cartoon Scandal

A Jewish cartoonist discusses why the recent Sunday Times cartoon was so offensive.

On Sunday 27th January, the Sunday Times, one of Britain’s leading broadsheet newspapers, published a cartoon depicting Israeli President Binyamin Netanyahu building a wall cemented by the blood and bodies of screaming Palestinians. The caption reads ‘Israeli Elections: Will Cementing Peace Hopes Continue?’ To make matters worse, the cartoon’s publication coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day.

The cartoon’s publication coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day.

I first saw the cartoon when my father showed it to me on his phone. I instantly assumed it was a sample from the lovely Arab press, where sadly, these kinds of images are commonplace. But I was horrified when he told me that it actually appeared in the Sunday Times, a newspaper purportedly in line with tolerant multi-culturalism to which Britain aspires.

I too am a cartoonist, so I know well the emotional responses cartoons can trigger. It was not so long ago that the publication of the Danish cartoon depicting Mohammed as a suicide bomber sparked shockingly violent protests from offended Muslims around the world. At that time I was astounded at how immensely powerful images can be; their impact has an immediacy that words lack, and their visual, visceral nature can cause deep distress. This was proven once again by the reaction to the Sunday Times cartoon.

The outcry was instantaneous. 270 outraged people complained to the Press Complaints Commission. Rupert Murdoch, whose News International owns the Sunday Times, tweeted an apology for the cartoon he deemed ‘grotesque and offensive’. Numerous Jewish organisations demanded an apology from the newspaper. Following a meeting between these organisations and Sunday Times representatives, an apology was issued, with the paper deeming the cartoon’s publication a ‘terrible mistake’, and reasserting its abhorrence of anti-Semitism.

The media revelled in the story. Articles, radio discussions, blogs and tweets agonised over whether the cartoon is actually anti-Semitic. Some disparaged those who have spoken out against it for using the label of anti-Semitism to censure criticism of Israeli policy. Others argued about whether the timing of the cartoon was the main cause for offence or the actual content, and many ferociously debated the ‘blood libel’ implications.

So is the cartoon anti-Semitic? Is the blood libel reference relevant? Can one protest against such a cartoon’s publication without inhibiting free speech? Was the timing the main problem?

Personally, I do not think the intention of the cartoon was anti-Semitic. The cartoonist, Gerald Scarfe, a veteran of British cartooning, typically uses bloody imagery in his work, a fact that was underlined by the newspaper in its initial defence of the cartoon’s publication. In other words, Scarfe hasn’t singled out the Israeli PM for vitriol, but often depicts various public figures in violent blood spattered images. Scarfe further asserted in his own defence that the cartoon was aimed solely at Netanyahu and his policies, not the whole Jewish nation. Haaretz commentator Anshel Pfeffer observed that there is no Star of David attached to Bibi, nor is he wearing a yarmulke, which, in classic anti-Semitic propaganda, are indicators that the image refers to all Jews. Some people protested against the size of Bibi’s nose in the cartoon, but this I chalk up to techniques used in caricatures, namely, to take the individual’s features and emphasize them hyperbolically, as this image does.

With regards to the accusation of blood libel (essentially the idea that Jews harvest the blood of gentiles for their own uses, particularly in religious rituals), defenders of the cartoon assert that Scarfe’s image bears no relation to the standard blood libel picture of the cherubic gentile child slaughtered by a bloody, hook-nosed Jew.

So how come four major national Jewish organisations, the British Ambassador to Israel Daniel Taub, the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, 270 people making official complaints and Rupert Murdoch, all declared the cartoon to be highly offensive and inappropriate?

It is all very well for Scarfe to claim that he has not treated Bibi differently from any other world leader. It is also very well that he insists his image is not referring to all Jews. His intentions may certainly not have been anti-Semitic. But Scarfe should be aware that artistic intent is not always congruent with the reception of the art itself, or the response it evokes. Could he really be so ignorant as not to realise the abhorrent associations of such imagery when applied to a Jewish leader? As one Guardian reader succinctly commented in an internet response:

“To most people these cartoons are just that, cartoons. To Jews they are reminiscent of the early stages of anti-Jewish sentiment that very often led to pogroms and far worse all over Europe over centuries.”

Any individual with knowledge of Nazi propagandist cartooning, or the unashamedly anti-Semitic images published daily in the Arab Middle Eastern press, would instantly associate this cartoon with those images and those attitudes.

It is no surprise then that some complained that the most egregious offense was the publication of the cartoon on Holocaust Memorial Day itself. But surely a cartoon that people would connect with Holocaust imagery is wrong and despicable whenever it appears?

“Look at the cartoon and judge for yourself.”

Some have argued that this image has nothing to do with the blood libel, but as the editor of the Jewish Chronicle Stephen Pollard suggested in a BBC radio discussion, ‘look at the cartoon and judge for yourself whether Netanyahu is depicted as revelling in the blood of Palestinians’. Those who object to the blood libel invocation declare that it is a medieval myth irrelevant to contemporary cultural discourse. They imply that Jews use the blood libel line as a gag for critics of Israel.

Free speech is an important value, and Jews champion it. Clearly none of the organisations that protested said that Israel cannot be criticised, nor did anyone attempt arson attacks on Scarfe’s house or the offices of the Sunday Times. But how ill-considered to use an image that has such vile associations when applied to Jews.

Furthermore, the cartoon is based on untruths, very much like the original medieval blood libels. In an excellent article from the London Jewish News, Charlie Wolf points out that political cartooning is supposed to ‘expose truths through a lens of distortion that shines a light on the wrongs of society’. Scarfe’s image, however, falls into the tropes of media myopia in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Steve Bell, another cartoonist whose work is similar in tone to Scarfe’s, who defended the cartoon in the above mentioned BBC radio discussion, asserted ‘The problem with the Zionist lobby is that they never acknowledge the crime of ethnic cleansing upon which the state was founded’*. This appallingly one-sided and ignorant attitude is sadly widespread, and is another facet of the ideas the cartoon suggests. When an editor prints a cartoon that implies a security wall that has saved the lives of hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian civilians has been built through the bloodshed and murder of Palestinians, and when that editor believes this image will resonate with his readership, the alarm bells should start to ring. Loudly.

In a society that claims to be tolerant, freedom of speech needs to be tempered with tact and sensitivity. Cartoonists and journalists can criticise Israel as much as they want, but their criticisms must be based on fact. And even if they are based on fact, their artistic metaphors should steer well clear of those that evoke classic patterns of Jew-hating propaganda. If not, they should not be surprised when they are associated with anti-Semitism and bigotry because ultimately, that allegation may resonate.

* As Charlie Wolf points out, apart from this point being irrelevant to the discussion that was taking place, the statement is simply untrue;

“Israel was not founded on some sort of racial purity…the local Arab population was invited to stay and be part of the dream of building an oasis in the desert; the Arabs who stayed have full rights. It was, in the vast majority, the Arab and Palestinian population who left in the hope Israel would be annihilated and it is they who would, they hoped, return to an ethnically cleansed Israel. Meanwhile…750 000 to a million Jews living…across the Arab world were kicked out against their will, leaving behind rich tracts of land (some estimate acreage six times the size of the State of Israel)…Where are the cartoons on their plight?”

About the Author

Keren Keet is a freelance artist, cartoonist and writer. She has a monthly column in the international Mishpacha Magazine, and her work has been published in many newspapers and websites across the globe. Keren has illustrated several projects with the United Synagogue UK, including their Early Years Siddur, and she has worked extensively in the Jewish greetings cards industry. A selection of her cartoons are available as greetings cards. She lives in Edgware, London, with her husband and children. To find out more visit her website: www.kerenkeet.co.uk

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 13

(10)
Dvirah,
January 18, 2015 5:05 PM

In Retrospect

Looking back at this article 2 years later, it ironically occurs to me that the cartoon is in fact an accurate depiction of the building of the tunnels that Hammas hoped to use against Israel and Israelis - they were indeed built upon the blood of Palenstinian civilians and expecialy children.

(9)
Glenn,
February 14, 2013 5:50 PM

nip in the bud

Give the Jew haters an inch and they will take a mile.

(8)
Gary Katz,
February 13, 2013 8:43 PM

I was one of the people who protested

I assumed Scarfe referenced the separation barrier in his cartoon. It made me think about security barriers in general. Free countries build them to keep people out. Dictatorships build them to keep people in. Scarfe can criticize all he wants, even while mis-representing the nature of the barrier, the purpose of the barrier and the effects of the barrier. However, he doesn't live in a country where terrorists are setting off bombs every other day. Plus, I'd wager he locks his door at night.

(7)
Gaddy Bergmann,
February 13, 2013 1:45 PM

Well said

This article says it all, and eloquently. Political cartoons can be quite scathing, and if they're doing their job right, someone is going to get offended. But it should be because they communicate truth, not because they parrot falsehoods. I'm glad the Sunday Times apologized for publishing this libelous cartoon, particularly on Holocaust Memorial Day. Israel's policies should be open to debate, like those of any nation, but not through distortions and images reminiscent of antisemitism. Thank you for shining a light on this issue, and for helping right this wrong.

(6)
Kenny Komodo,
February 13, 2013 1:12 AM

Offensive to Me!!

Look carefully at the caricature of the Jew in the cartoon. Then go back and look at some of the Nazi newspapers that show pictures of Jews. Look the same don't they. The cartoon shows a very hateful picture of Jews and I'm offended by such a picture. Jews around the world have been responsible for some of the most technological advances in science and medicine; to show a caricature of traditional anti Semitic vision of Jews as blood sucking parasites does no justice to the contributions Jews have made throughout history. And I don't care if Arabs are also Semites; this picture is a cartoon of a Jew and everyone know it.

(5)
Fred,
February 12, 2013 11:36 PM

What else is new?

The virulence of anti semitism in Eurabia reminds one of the catoons in the Nazi rag "Der Stuermer". The lame excuses, the arogance in perceived ignorance, the deliberate hurt delivered on Holocaust day show how subservient the British press has become to Arab money and influence. Shame, shame....

(4)
Edoardo Recanati,
February 12, 2013 5:40 PM

No worse blind man than the one who doesn't want to see

Very smart the inquiries of our cartoonist! Millions of people did not spend time in analising the cartoon full of blood. They very simply carried on, thinking that Jews are worst than Nazis.

(3)
Joanna,
February 11, 2013 11:44 PM

great insights

Thank you for an interesting and insightful article. Keep your cartoons coming!

(2)
richard evans,
February 11, 2013 6:51 PM

sunday times mistake.

How can we send our discust to the Sunday Times. I have always thought that insitute was always right.
Can we have a pertition to sign and then forward it on to the Sunday Times.

(1)
Michael Mendershausen,
February 11, 2013 4:03 PM

Anti-Semitism and its meaning.

When will Gentiles get this word right? The Arab Middle Eastern press has never published an anti-Semitic article; Arabs are Semites!

Fred,
February 11, 2013 8:07 PM

Semites or not semites

Semites or not semites,the point is that the Sunday Times made a big mistake and Jews deseve an apology.Now days the term anti-semitic refers tu the jew people;have you notice it.

Yaakov,
February 12, 2013 4:56 PM

The word "antisemitism" refers only to Jews

It was coined by nazis to justify their hatred for Jews in "scientific" terms in line with the "inferior race" theory, so it didn't appear just as a visceral hatred. Thus it was never meant to refer to Arabs.

C. Cassin,
February 12, 2013 5:40 PM

Not all muslims in the middle east are Arabs. The term arab is used loosely.
It is my contention that the majority of the critics of "the fence"; only a small portion of which resembles a wall, have obviously never seen this icon of controversy.
Neighborhoods all over the "green earth" have erected such barriers to noise, dust, and automobile polution. Not to mention, it must surely keep their untrained children from sneaking out past curfew ... Where, oh where is the outrage??

I always loved the story of Jonah and the whale. Why do we read it during the afternoon service of Yom Kippur?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Let's recap the story: God tells Jonah to go to Ninveh and to prophesy that in 40 days, God will destroy the city. Instead, Jonah goes to Jaffa, boards a ship, and sails for Tarshish. A great storm arises. Frightened, Jonah goes to sleep in the ship's hold. The sailors somehow recognize that Jonah is responsible for the storm. They throw him overboard, and the sea becomes calm.

A great fish swallows Jonah. Then three days later, God commands the fish to spit Jonah back out upon dry land. God tells Jonah, "Let's try it again. Go to Ninveh and tell them in 40 days I will destroy the city."

The story is a metaphor for our struggle for clarity. Jonah is the soul. The soul is assigned to sanctify the world, and draw it close to God. But we are seduced by the world's beauty. (Jaffa in Hebrew means "beauty.") The ship is the body, the sea is the world, and the storm is life's pains and troubles. God hopes confrontation with mortality will inspire us to examine our lives. But Jonah's is the more common response - we go to sleep (have a beer, turn on the television). The sailors throw Jonah overboard - this is death. The fish that swallows Jonah is the grave. Jonah is spat back upon the land - reincarnation. And the Almighty tells us to try again. "Go sanctify the world and bring it close to God."

Each of us is born with an opportunity and a challenge. We each have unique gifts to offer the world and unique challenges to perfect ourselves. If we leave the task unfinished the first time, we get a second chance. Jonah teaches us that repentance can reverse a harsh decree. If the residents of Ninveh had the ability to correct their mistakes and do teshuva, how much more so do we have the ability to correct our former mistakes and do teshuva.

(source: "The Bible for the Clueless But Curious," by Rabbi Nachum Braverman)

In 1948, Egypt launched a large-scale offensive against the Negev region of Israel. This was part of the War of Independence, an attack by five Arab armies designed to "drive the Jews into the sea." Though the Jews were under-armed, untrained, and few in number, through ingenuity and perseverance they staved off the attacks and secured the borders. Yet the price was high -- Israel lost 6,373 of its people, a full one percent of the Jewish population of Israel at the time.

And what does teshuvah consist of? [Repentance to the degree] that the One Who knows all that is hidden will testify that he will never again repeat this sin(Maimonides, Laws of Teshuvah 2:2).

"How can this be?" ask the commentaries. "Inasmuch as man always has free choice to do good or evil, to sin or not to sin, how can God testify that a person will never repeat a particular sin? Is this not a repudiation of one's free will?"

The answer to this came to me at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, at which the speaker, a man who had been sober for twenty-one years, said, "The man I was drank. The man I was will drink again. But now I am a different man."

A sin does not occur in a vacuum. A person who is devout does not abruptly decide to eat treifah. A sin occurs when a person is in such a state that a particular act is not anathema to him.

Consequently, repentance is not complete if one merely regrets having done wrong. One must ask, "How did this sin ever come about? In what kind of a state was I that permitted me to commit this sin?"

True repentance thus consists of changing one's character to the point where, as the person is now, one can no longer even consider doing the forbidden act. Of course, the person's character may deteriorate - and if it does, he may sin again.

God does not testify that the person will never repeat the sin, but rather that his degree of repentance and correction of his character defects are such that, as long as he maintains his new status, he will not commit that sin.

Today I shall...

try to understand how I came to do those things that I regret having done, and bring myself to a state where such acts will be alien to me.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...